Sandstorm and BloodClan: Fading Shadows
by leopardfire2012
Summary: After BloodClan's defeat, Sandstorm must raise her kits alongside Socks in twolegplace. But BloodClan still remains a threat as they prepare to make the journey to their new home.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Allegiances:**

 **Rebuilt BloodClan-**  
 **Leader: Badgerstar-** dark blue-gray tom with brown eyes and folded ears (His left ear is torn and is on his fourth life)  
 **Deputy: Mollystep-** tan and white she-cat with amber eyes and a sliver collar with dog teeth  
 **Medicine Cat: Fiery-** gray she-cat with yellow eyes  
 **Warriors:**  
 **Fang-** orange she-cat with a front left white paw and a purple collar with dog teeth  
 **Wolf-** gray and white tom with yellow eyes and a blue collar with dog teeth  
 **Mittens-** brown and black tabby she-cat with white paws and light green eyes (Former kittypet captured by BloodClan)  
 **Tigerhawk-** brown and black tom with amber eyes  
 **Hawkclaw-** brown and white tom with amber eyes  
 **Mudshade-** dark brown tom with amber eyes  
 **Mapletail-** tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Queens:**  
 **Squirrelclaw-** orange and white she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Leopardkit, an orange she-cat with blue eyes, Tigerkit, an orange and black tom with green eyes, and Petalkit, a white she-cat with yellow eyes)  
 **Thistletooth-** light brown she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Lionkit, a tan tom with brown eyes, and Eaglekit, a brown and white she-cat with yellow eyes)  
 **Frostface-** white she-cat with blue eyes (Mother to Icekit, a white she-cat with blue eyes and gray tabby stripes, Blood, a black tom with a front left white paw and ice blue eyes, and Bone II, a black tom with a white muzzle and light green eyes)

 **Blackclaw's Group-** (Rogues who are seeking a new home, formerly loners)  
 **Leader: Blackclaw-** black tom with yellow eyes, Shadowclaw's firstborn son and formerly known as Shadow  
 **Shadowclaw-** black tom with yellow eyes, former ShadowClan warrior  
 **Night-** dark gray tom with amber eyes  
 **Tooth-** black tom with blue eyes  
 **Ninja-** black tom with blind yellow eyes  
 **Claw-** black tom with amber eyes  
 **Bone-** black and white tom

 **Cats Outside the Clans-**  
 **Sandstorm-** tan and white she-cat with brown eyes and a pearl necklace (Kittypet; mother to Swiftkit, Twigkit, Flame, Tumblekit, and Tinykit)  
 **Socks-** black and white tom with a blue collar (Kittypet)  
 **Swiftkit-** brown she-kit with a white tail tip and amber eyes  
 **Twigkit-** small brown tom-kit with amber eyes  
 **Flame-** ginger and white tabby tom-kit with leaf green eyes  
 **Tumblekit-** small light brown tom-kit with amber eyes and folded ears  
 **Tinykit-** small black and white tom-kit with ice blue eyes and a purple collar  
 **Butterscotch-** cream tabby tom with light green eyes  
 **Sneaks-** black and white tom with light green eyes  
 **Zoey-** fierce black she-cat with long fluffy fur and light green eyes  
 **Quickstep-** tan and white tom with folded ears, Sandstorm's father (Loner)  
 **Sandie-** brown and white she-cat, Sandstorm's mother (Loner)  
 **Barley-** black and white tom (Loner)  
 **Princess-** light brown she-cat with a white chest and white paws (Kittypet)  
 **Smudge-** black and white tom (Kittypet)  
 **Ruby-** white she-cat  
 **Quince-** elderly white she-cat (Kittypet)  
 **Dawn-** dark blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes and a brown collar (Kittypet)  
 **Rainstorm-** gray and white she-cat with light green eyes (Loner)  
 **Nightberry-** dark gray she-cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, formerly a ShadowClan warrior (Loner)  
 **Lucy-** black she-cat with golden-yellow eyes and a red collar (Kittypet with knowledge of herbs)  
 **Josh-** brown tom with yellow eyes, Lucy's mate  
 **Molly-** cream she-cat with a pink nose, a green collar, and blue eyes (Lucy's daughter)  
 **Mysterious Star-** black she-cat with an odd white star-like marking and blue eyes (Loner)

* * *

 **Prologue:**

Socks and Sandstorm watched the falling snowflakes softly landing on the ground together.  
"BloodClan has left us alone for so long...do you think that they've left for good?" Socks asked.  
Sandstorm shook her head. "No, they're not gone for good. Dawn caught a faint scent of them a few sunrises ago."  
"Hey...can you tell me about the clans again?"  
"Again?" Sandstorm said, flicking her tail in annoyance.  
"Please?" He asked once more, his eyes shining.  
She sighed. "Okay, okay. Now quit acting like a little kit! I'll tell you a bit about WindClan."  
"That's the clan your father was in, right?"  
She nodded. "He told me that a long time ago, that WindClan had two different kinds of warriors. There were the moor runners, who hunted and trained aboveground. They get the same training as warriors in other clans do as apprentices. Then, there were the tunnelers, who learned how to travel in the tunnels and know what was above them, like another clan's territory. But by the time he was born, the tunnelers had been gone for many seasons."  
"Those tunnelers must be so brave...risking their lives in those tunnels every day."  
"Yeah. He told me that for the tunnelers, learning the most important rules of tunneling helped the apprentices they trained stay alive."  
"So...what's their territory like?"  
"It was a moor, and there were lots of rabbits. They were the closest to the moonstone, where they spoke their StarClan. But to get to it, they had to cross a thunderpath."  
"Were there...other clans?" He asked.  
"Of course! There was ShadowClan, who lived in the marshlands. Not far from them was carrionplace, but they didn't hunt there too often. The rats there spread disease. Then there's RiverClan, who swam in the river to catch fish to eat. Oh, and ThunderClan...they used to live not far from here, Socks. And every full moon they would all meet at fourtrees, where there were four great oak trees. But that's all gone now..."  
She sighed, and her tail drooped. "I never got to see the clans living here in the forest, and now I never will. They're all gone. But Princess heard that they had left to go somewhere far from here...where do you think they went?"  
Socks tried to come up with an answer, but none came to him that made sense.  
"You should be resting in that box our housefolk made for you."  
"I know...but I wanted to see the snow from here. It's a much better view."  
The two of them were quiet for a few moments, continuing to watch the silent snowfall.  
"Hey, I always wondered something."  
"What is it?"  
"Your necklace...where did it come from?"  
"My parents gave it to me and put around my neck when I very young."  
She walked over to the big box that was on the ground, with soft bedding inside it.  
"Socks, the housefolk are asleep. What are we going to do?"  
Socks' eyes widened. "What are you saying? Are you saying that-"  
She nodded silently. "Go and get someone to help us!"  
Socks nodded, and ran out the small cat-sized door.  
"Mom! Dawn! Get some sticks ready!"

* * *

Socks returned with some sticks and a few cats.  
"Dawn, give her one of these sticks to chew on. It will help her deal with the pain."  
"Quickstep and Sandie, you'll be...the emotional support."  
"And what about you?" Quince asked.  
"I'm the father, that's what I am!" Socks replied with a mrrow of laughter.  
Dawn put a stick near Sandstorm, and she bit down hard.  
Lucy had run into the nest. "I'm here! Did I miss anything?"  
The black she-cat noticed something that caught her eye.  
"It's a kit!" She cried.

* * *

One by one all the kits were born.  
"The kitting's over, Sandstorm. Congrats! You have five healthy kits! One she-kit and four toms!"  
"Five kits? That's more kits than I've ever had in a single kitting before!" Quince said.  
"So, what will we name them?" Socks asked.  
"I was thinking we could give them clan names, in honor of our warrior ancestors."  
She looked at a brown she-kit who had a white tail tip. "This one's name will be Swiftkit. After all, she was the first to be born."  
"It's a great name. But do they all have to have clan names?" Socks asked.  
She shook her head. "You can one of these kits whatever you want."  
Socks spotted the ginger and white tabby tom-kit.  
"He reminds me so much of your father, Socks..." Quince said softly.  
"And he reminds me so much of Firestar..." Sandstorm added.  
"Then his name will be Flame, in honor of the fierce bravery my father had in the forest."  
They all nodded in agreement.  
"It's a great name for a kit like that." Lucy said. She then walked over to the door.  
"I guess I should go, now that the kitting is over. Let me know how the kits are doing!"  
Socks nodded, and Lucy left the nest.  
"I'm going to go, too." Dawn said, "My housefolk might be a bit worried that I've left."  
"Goodbye, Dawn. You can come and visit us if you want!"  
"I will do my best to visit as much as I can." Dawn replied. She then left to return home.  
"I've decided the names for the rest of the kits."  
She looked at the light brown tom-kit who had folded ears.  
"This is Tumblekit."  
Next she looked at a small black tom-kit.  
"This one's name will be Tinykit, because he is so small."  
"What about this one?" Socks asked, looking at a small brown tom-kit.  
"He will be known as Twigkit, in honor of how hard we fought for him to live and how we thought he was already dead when he was born."  
Socks gently pushed Twigkit towards Sandstorm, where the rest of the kits were already nursing.  
"They're such beautiful kits." Socks said softly to Sandstorm.  
Sandstorm nodded, and watched as her parents left the nest.  
"We've fought to keep this place safe. If we ever have to, I'll gladly do it again. For our kits, and for everyone else!"


	2. Chapter 1

Badgerstar had called over his most loyal cats in the clan to his den.  
"Mollystep, Fang, Wolf...you are the cats that I can truely trust in this clan. I give you these collars, as a sign of your loyalty."  
Mollystep nodded, and saw the two collars on the ground.  
"This silver one is for you, Mollystep. You are my deputy, after all."  
Badgerstar watched with pride as Fang helped to put the collar around Mollystep's neck. The dog teeth on the collar seemed to be clean and shined in the early morning light reaching the camp.  
"This blue one is for you, Wolf. If anything were to happen to Mollystep, I know that you would be a great deputy."  
Wolf nodded, and once more Fang helped. Within a few heartbeats the blue collar with dog teeth was around Wolf's neck.  
"But what about me?" Fang cried.  
Badgerstar stood up, and revealed a pile of dog teeth. One by one he put them into her purple collar.  
"Why you had this collar before you joined our clan no longer matters. Even if you were a kittypet in the past."  
He looked at the three cats in front of him.  
"From now on, you all must report any cat that you believe is not loyal to our clan. The journey will be long, and we must be able to stay together."  
They all nodded in agreement.

* * *

A few heartbeats later, Badgerstar called his clan to begin a clan meeting.  
 _These words were said once before in the Dark Forest...and those words will work. I just have to change a few words..._  
"Let all cats old enough to fight and defend against our enemies gather to hear my words!"  
Mollystep, Wolf, and Fang stood proudly behind Badgerstar as the BloodClan cats quickly gathered in front of them, where a tall blue dumpster stood.  
"Cats of BloodClan, this may be the place where Scourge began his clan...but he was right when he wanted to take over the forest and twolegplace. However, since that time, the forest has been destroyed. There is another place that we can go...and that is where the _clans_ are right _now_!"  
Yowls of approval came from the crowd.  
"But where is this place?" Mittens asked, "If the clans are gone now, then where would they be?"  
"Tigerstar knows where it is. They are at the lake now. It's far from here, but to get there...we need to travel through twolegplace."  
"Why go to the lake when there's another place to go? When my apprentice left us...she said she would probably live at the farm. She mentioned that there's lots of mice there."  
"We are going where I _say_ we go, and that is _final_!"  
With a flick of his tail at her, Wolf and Fang pounced. Mittens screamed in pain as they dug into her left ear.  
"Enough! She's learned her lesson." Badgerstar said.  
As Fang and Wolf walked away from Mittens, she gasped for breath. Blood dripped onto the ground from her scratched ear.  
"One day, StarClan will show you that what you're doing is wrong. And when that day comes, you _will_ regret it."  
"Mittens is not to be trusted by anyone, and anyone is free to take her prey."  
"But-"  
Wolf and and Fang growled at her, showing their teeth. Mittens quickly flicked her tail and start to walk near an empty spot in the warriors' den.  
Badgerstar leaped down from the tall blue dumpster, with his tail in a erect position waving from side to side.  
"We're leaving _now_ , Mittens. Follow."


	3. Chapter 2

Sandstorm and Socks lead their kits outside into the yard, now green and full of life. Their housefolk put a purple collar around Tinykit's neck.  
"What's this for?" Tinykit asked Socks.  
"It's a collar, to keep you from getting lost." Socks replied.  
" _You_ don't have to wear one." Tinykit said to Sandstorm, his mother.  
"I don't really like them, to be honest. Besides, I have a collar of my own...this pearl necklace!"  
A sound caught Sandstorm's attention, and her eyes widened as she heard the familar cries of cats.  
 _BloodClan._  
She quickly sniffed the air.  
 _Praise StarClan! They're far away from here...for now._  
"What's wrong?" Socks whispered.  
"BloodClan's coming back." She replied in a hushed whisper.  
"Tell us about the forest, mom!" Tinykit said, swishing his tail.  
Sandstorm nodded, and waited for Tinykit to calm down. Then she began to speak.  
"Once, there was a forest here. One of your uncles explored the forest once."  
"The one I'm named after?" He asked.  
Sandstorm nodded. "Yes. Back then, the forest was still standing. He went into the forest, and he loved it there. He tried to join the clans, but they didn't want him there."  
"Why not?" Tinykit asked. "Firestar was a kittypet, and they let _him_ join."  
"Well, your uncle was just a kit back then." Socks said, "Teased by his own _littermates_ , he wanted to be in the forest with the clans. But one cat chose to teach him to stay away from their territory in a way that was too harsh. So he left the forest, and his old home."  
"Is he still around here?" Tinykit asked.  
Socks slowly shook his head. "He decided to start a new clan of his own. This clan is fierce and is deeper into twolegplace. He isn't leader anymore, but other cats are in charge now. And now...they're even more fierce. They don't show any mercy to kittypets like us."  
"We should go there! I could teach them a thing or two!" Tinykit said, leaping into the air. He fell onto the ground, grass and soil on his face.  
"Your pouncing needs work, but don't worry. Keep practicing!" Socks said, licking Tinykit's head.

* * *

"Can we rest, Badgerstar?" Mittens asked.  
"You kittypets are so soft! Keep moving!"  
He bit Mittens on her left ear hard enough that a few drops of blood hit the ground, and she quickened her pace.  
Up ahead, Badgerstar spotted the twoleg nests. He sniffed the air.  
 _Sanddust is here...and so is the scent of kits. Perhaps they are hers?_  
"BloodClan, we are almost near the homes of kittypets! Stay close to me, and we won't have any problems." He showed his teeth to Mittens, and her tail flicked several times.  
"Well, I have a problem with _you_ trying to kill me!" Mittens hissed. She slashed his left ear and ran off towards twolegplace.  
"Let her go." Badgerstar said, "She's weak enough already. She's not going to be alive much longer."

* * *

Mittens limped on all of her paws. Her body hurt everywhere that it could. Blood dripped onto the ground from her left ear. She felt her breathing become tight, and she realized that her old collar was still around her neck.  
 _Even after all this time...my collar is still there. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? Why did they have to take me from my housefolk?_  
She kept running, and in the distance caught the scent of twoleg nests.  
 _I have to keep running, can't stop, I need to-_  
She froze, and spotted a monster coming right towards her.  
 _I'm sorry that I couldn't get back home. But I tried..._  
She fell to the ground, and felt something comforting.  
 _"Mittens! Oh my...we have to get her some help right away!"_  
She faintly saw her housefolk, smiling back at her. Slowly she closed her eyes and felt nothing at all, and her body became numb to the pain.  
 _I'm home...did you miss me? I've missed you all...so much. Now I can be safe with you...forever._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Flashback time! Mittens wasn't always in BloodClan. In fact, she used to be a kittypet before being captured.

* * *

 _Mittens opened her eyes, and heard the some of her housefolk._  
 _They seem to be scared of something. She thought. What's the_ matter _with them?_  
 _She looked out the window, and spotted several cats._  
 _Rogues! Mittens realized. I need to protect my housefolk!_  
 _A fluffy black she-cat ran down the stairs and out the open door where a monster was resting. Mittens followed as quietly as she could, but she wasn't quiet enough._  
 _"Mittens! What are you doing here?" The black she-cat hissed._  
 _"I have to keep them safe!"_  
 _"Go back inside! These rogues are too strong! I saw them injure one of our housefolk, and they were bleeding on their front paws."_  
 _"But Zoey-" She cried._  
 _The brown she-cat hissed at them._  
 _"Bring me those two she-cats. They'll be our_ prisoners _!"_  
 _"No!" Zoey cried. She slashed their eyes, blinding them._  
 _"There's not much time. Run!" Zoey said to Mittens. She ran back inside as their housefolk called for their names._  
 _"Stay away from our cats!" One of their housefolk yelled, holding a long snake-like object in their hands. Sudddenly, water came out of it and some of the rogues ran off._  
 _Mittens ran off, and in the distance she saw a cream tabby tom._  
 _"Butterscotch! Get back inside! These strays are dangerous!" Zoey said._  
 _Butterscotch shook his head, and a black and white tom ran over to him._  
 _"Sneaks!"_  
 _A few of the rogues pounced on top of Mittens._  
 _"Run, Mittens!" Sneaks cried, "We'll deal with these rogues the best we can!"_  
 _Mittens ran onto a quiet thunderpath, and the rogues ran after her._  
 _Her paws slipped, and she fell to the ground, scratches on her pelt from the fall._  
 _"What's your name,_ kittypet _?" The brown she-cat said._  
 _"My_ name _?" She asked._  
 _"Yeah, you have a name don't you?"_  
 _Mittens nodded. "My name is Mittens. Please, just tell my friends where I am and leave me alone!"_  
 _"Sorry, but we came to get some new members for our clan. You're brave...for a_ kittypet _. Bring her to our camp."_  
 _"Yes, Mollystep." Wolf said, nodding._

* * *

"Mittens? You're _alive_!"  
Slowly Mittens opened her eyes. She saw Butterscotch, Sneaks, and Zoey.  
"You were pretty injured. They almost hit you with their monster!" Sneaks said.  
"Sneaks...I thought I would never see you again."  
"So did I. But now we're together, and that's all that matters. There's still a future for us. We can still start a family."  
Mittens noticed behind him some boxes.  
"What are those boxes doing there?" She asked.  
"Our housefolk are moving, Mittens. This place is too dangerous for us. We're going to a new home to live in. They're taking us there, too."  
"Praise StarClan!" Mittens cried.  
"StarClan? What's that?" Sneaks asked.  
"It's a long story. In fact, I might as well tell you what happened to me after those rogues managed to capture me..."  
Sneaks nodded, and he called Butterscotch and Zoey over to them.  
"Well, I ran like you told me to. But I fell...and then I woke up in their camp. It was horrible. But now, I'm happy that I can be safe with you."


	4. Chapter 3

Sandstorm opened her eyes, moonlight shining on her fur. She looked outside the window and spoted a cat she recognized.  
 _It's a BloodClan cat!_  
Quickly she ran outside towards them, and the she-cat appeared to quickly surrender.  
"You're that cat who made Badgerstar lose three entire lives at once."  
"What are you doing here?" Sandstorm asked, "BloodClan doesn't belong here."  
"I agree with you. They're fierce, and don't care who they kill. It's me...Mittens. Remember?"  
Sandstorm gasped.  
"What are you doing outside of BloodClan's camp?"  
"I left. I had to do it to save my life. They were going to kill me. I wanted to thank you for defeating him. My housefolk rescued me, but we're moving far from here soon. If they come back before I have to leave...I will fight alongside you to protect this place. For all the innocent cats here who don't deserve to die!"  
Sandstorm nodded in agreement.  
"Anyway, I better go back home. My housefolk might get worried about me. See you around."  
Mittens walked back to her home, where Sneaks was waiting for her.

* * *

Morning sunlight hit Sandstorm's pelt. She went outside, sniffing the air. Her eyes widened with fear as she saw cats with dog teeth on their collars.  
 _BloodClan!_  
She watched in silence as they neared her yard.  
"Sanddust, come here!"  
Tinykit came outside.  
"Is everything okay?" He asked.  
"Yes, just go get your siblings and your father."  
Tinykit nodded, and ran back inside.  
Sandstorm leaped down from the fence, and Badgerstar flicked his tail.  
"So, Sanddust...we meet again."  
"You should leave as quickly as you can. I have allies you would fight like LionClan to protect this place."  
"We were just passing through. We're heading to a new territory."  
Socks and the rest of Tinykit's siblings came out into the yard. Dawn had come outside to see what was going on, along with Quickstep and Sandie, who had stay with her for a while as visitors. Socks began to slash the fence, making a hole big enough to squeeze through.  
"We don't want to fight. Just let us through now, and there won't be any problems."  
"Grr! Watch me take down these BloodClan cats!" Tinykit said, pouncing on a stick.  
Badgerstar turned his head to Tinykit.  
"I would like to see you try." Mollystep said, walking over to the small kit.  
Tinykit hissed at the BloodClan deputy, pouncing onto her and biting her ear. He kept his jaw closed, not letting go and biting as hard as he could.  
"Don't let go. Focus on your opponent!"  
A single drop of blood hit the ground, and Tinykit let go.  
"Well done. You could be a good warrior in our clan. And since you are kin of Scourge...you could be a future leader. What do you think?"  
"I'm waiting until I'm _older_ to be an apprentice."  
"Grab his collar." Badgerstar ordered.  
"No!" Socks said, leaping for Tinykit.  
Mollystep quickly grabbed Tinykit by his collar and BloodClan ran off, towards the former ThunderClan territory. Sandstorm ran towards them, but quickly leaped off the thunderpath. The rest of BloodClan did, but Badgerstar wasn't fast enough.  
Tinykit gasped in shock as he saw the monster hit Badgerstar's body. He watched Mollystep, Wolf, and Fang carry his body to safety.  
"His fourth life...is _gone_." Mollystep said softly.  
"Oh StarClan, why have you done this to him?" Tinykit cried, "He didn't have to die!"  
"He's _not_ dead. Look, he's waking up."  
Badgerstar weakly began to stand up, and starting walking the same way he was before.  
"BloodClan, follow! You too, Tiny _paw_."  
Tinypaw nodded slowly, then obeyed his directions.  
"I'll come back, mother. Don't worry!"  
"Be brave, my little warrior."  
Tinypaw nodded, and then didn't look back.  
 _My little kit...is_ gone _._  
Sandstorm walked back, tears in her eyes.  
"He went with them, but he promised to come back." Sandstorm told Socks.  
Socks nodded. "I'm sure that he will. He's always been a fighter like the uncle he was named after. I just hope that he won't end up as evil as _he_ was."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I recently got asked a few questions. Looks like it's up to me to answer them!

 **The answers for these questions (in no particular order):**

I'm not accepting OCs for this story. It's already somewhat difficult to handle all the cats in this story already (but only a _little_ ).

Squirrelflight and Leafpool are living at the lake with the other clan cats.

When Badgerstar was just a kit (known as Badgerkit), he was told a lot of stories about clan life by his father, Quickstep. The stories he liked the most were about BloodClan. Scourge showed up in one his dreams while falling asleep to one his father's stories about BloodClan, and began to tell him about how StarClan was just a nursery tale for kits. Scourge was able to slowly over time make Badgerkit believe him. In fact, Scourge was the one to convince him to leave his home and become a rogue. Thanks to Scourge, Badgerkit began to believe in the dark forest, and had a few of them walk in his dreams. They may have trained him, but I'm not sure.

Mittens and her other friends _are_ moving, but _not_ to the lake. They'll be moving to the twolegplace where CatnipClan eventually gets formed.

Sandstorm will probably choose to travel one day, but her kits are very young right now. Maybe when they've grown up a little?

Tinykit's future is not certain...but it is up to _him_ to choose the path he wishes to walk.

I have to admit that answering these was actually kind of fun. See you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 4

"Here it is...the farm." Badgerstar said softly.  
He scratched the barn door, and a black and white tom peeked out.  
"Oh, I thought this barn was abandoned."  
The tom shook his head.  
"We've been traveling for quite a long time from twolegplace. We need a place to stay for a while. May we all stay here with you?"  
The tom looked at the cats, and his eyes suddenly widened.  
"You're not _BloodClan_ cats, are you?" He asked.  
Badgerstar shook his head. "Oh, those are just spiked collars. We're not BloodClan cats."  
Slowly the tom began to relax.  
"Welcome to the farm. My name's Barley. It's nice to have some company here. The last cats to stay here were from SkyClan. They left very recently."  
"Where did they go?" He asked.  
"They went to find the clans."

* * *

The star shined brightly in the night sky. Sandstorm became very worried, and so was Socks.  
"Greenleaf has almost come, but he still hasn't come back." Socks said.  
"Mittens' housefolk have begun bringing boxes into huge monsters. The move is going to be very soon."  
Lucy ran towards them.  
"BloodClan's at the farm!"  
"They are?"  
Lucy nodded. "I was exploring the old RiverClan territory, and that's when one of them nearly attacked me. It's the same farm that loner is at."  
"Let's go, Socks."  
He shook his head. "We can't."  
"Why not?"  
"Our kits...need to become apprentices!"  
Swiftkit's eyes shined brightly.  
"Let all those who are old enough to chase their own prey join me at the fence for a meeting!"  
Upon hearing this, Quickstep, Dawn, and Sandie came outside into Sandstorm's yard. Lucy quickly joined them.  
"Swiftkit, Tumblekit, and Twigkit. From this moment forward you will be known as Swifpaw, Tumblepaw, and Twigpaw."  
"What about Flame?" Socks asked.  
"You _want_ him to have a clan name?" Sandstorm asked.  
Socks nodded.  
"Flame. From this moment forward, you will be known as Flame _paw_. Socks and I will be your mentors."  
"Swiftpaw! Tumblepaw! Twigpaw! Flamepaw!"  
"Now let's go get Tinykit back!"

* * *

Tinypaw looked around silently.  
 _Good. Everyone's asleep._  
He spotted Barley sleeping in some hay.  
"Barley, can I talk to you?"  
Barley opened his eyes. "Ravenpaw?"  
"No, I'm _Tiny_ paw. Listen, I know you're worried about the other cats I came with. I see the fear in your eyes. I didn't _want_ to come with them, but they _took_ me from my mother and my father. I miss them so much."  
"They took you from your _parents_?"  
Tinypaw nodded silently. "Don't let them know that I told you."  
Barley looked around.  
"You can sleep with me if you want."  
Tinypaw jumped into the hay and lied down next to Barley.  
"Thanks, Barley. I'm glad you understand."  
Suddenly, Barley stood up.  
"More cats. They have the scent of twolegplace."  
"That must be them!"  
The two of them walked to the barn door.  
"Tinykit!" Sandstorm cried softly.  
"They made me an apprentice. I'm Tiny _paw_ now."  
"That doesn't matter. You're safe." Socks said.  
Tinypaw ran to his parents.  
"I don't care if it's a soft life. But I want to stay with Barley at the farm."  
Badgerstar opened one eye.  
"Stay here? But prey is too _easy_ to catch here! Don't you want to learn how to fight?"  
Tinypaw shook his head. "Not the way _you_ fight. You fight to _kill_."  
Badgerstar yowled, and every single BloodClan cat woke up.  
"Now look at what you've done. Everyone is awake, thanks to you!"  
" _You_ woke them up, not him. I won't let you take this place from anyone who needs it."  
Barley slashed Badgerstar's nose, and Sandstorm pinned his body down.  
"No!" Mollystep cried.  
Blood began to stain the barn, and Mollystep dragged his body outside.  
"Another life, taken away. How many more do you need to steal from him?"  
"Come on, Mollystep. We should leave. These rogues aren't friendly."  
Badgerstar walked away from the farm, and the rest of BloodClan followed. Tinypaw stayed behind. He looked at Barley one last time.  
 _He knew all along the truth about us._  
"I knew that they were BloodClan all along. Tinypaw, you should go home."  
"But this place feels like a home to me. I don't want to leave."  
Socks nodded. "If you feel like this is where you belong, then it's best if you stay here."  
"We'll miss you, Tinypaw." Sandstorm said.  
"We'll miss you, too!" Tumblepaw, Swiftpaw, and Twigpaw said.  
"I not an apprentice anymore. I'm a _warrior_."  
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Sandstorm asked.  
Tinypaw nodded. "I do."  
"Tinypaw, from this moment forward, you will be known as Tinyfang. StarClan honors your bravery and courage. I hope you will be happy here. May StarClan light your path, Tinyfang."  
"Of course. I'll always miss you. I can't change what's happened today, but I can change my future. Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, father. I'll never forget you."  
Barley walked over to Tinyfang. "You remind me so much of Ravenpaw...I miss him a lot."  
"You can call me whatever you want to remember him if you want. I don't mind at all."  
Barley nodded. "Little Raven...let's go back inside. I'll teach you everything I know about the farm."  
Tinyfang nodded, and starting biting into his purple collar with his teeth.  
"Let me help." Barley said, gently slashing the collar off his neck. He dug a hole and put the collar inside, and soon it was buried in the ground.  
 _He'll be safe here. Besides...BloodClan is gone now. They can't harm us anymore._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Tinyfang decided to stay with Barley at the farm, because not only did he understand his problem with BloodClan, but because he also seemed very lonely. After learning about Ravenpaw, he lets Barley call him Little Raven now and then in honor of him.


End file.
